Evanescent
by waywardprincess
Summary: The Spiral wasn't always peaceful. There was a time when the twelve worlds clashed in the largest power struggle in history. The worlds were split into four kingdoms, each of the monarchies exerting control over three worlds. Now, two centuries into the war Aerilon is nearing anarchy, a princess sets out on a journey that would be recounted in classes for centuries to come.
1. Prologue

**Evanescent**

Prologue

There was an earsplitting crash.

The skies were heavy and sad; the billows of each gray cloud reached down toward the grass as if they might stroke the blades. There was a damp chill to the night air that ruffled the red curtains of the princess's bedroom. A faint sharp flash of lightning bathed the cream walls in a harsh yellow and illuminated the curious face of the teenager as she leaned further out her window. The princess had heard the stories of how the Spiral came into existence through the clash of the titans. She'd heard the story from Bartleby himself, yet it only seemed to be fascinating and truly great when she compared it to the sound of a storm.

She loved the wind, the thunder, the electricity of a bolt of lightning. There was nothing about it that scared her. The clouds knew no territory borders; they knew no kingdoms, no monarchs, no rules. They only knew to float where the wind took them and asked no questions. The princess envied the freedom that the storms had.

The princess didn't just stay up to watch the storms, though. No, she stayed up to watch the hunters come crawling out, and to see the assassins step out of the shadows and bathe in the flashes of light. She leaned against her elbows as the wind gusted up once more, throwing both the tapestries and her hair back. She could see the nightly assassin—she didn't know his name, but he probably knew her's—just at the bottom of the hill that their castle set upon. A frown tugged at the corners of her lips. There would never come a day where she would be free to roam the lands as she pleased; she would never have the freedom of a regular person.

The hunter at the edge of the castle wall kicked his horse in the ribs as he speed towards the assassin. The princess watched this fight almost once a week. The hunters searched for assassins, assassins killed whoever they were paid to off, and the world went round like it always did. The princess often wondered how she would meet her death, but even that much wasn't left up to her. She could not ascend the throne for that was a prince and his wife's job. She had no right to leave the castle unless supervised by her father or her brothers. All she could hope for in life was to bear a son, since failure to do so was imminent death.

So, if life was so drab, why didn't she run away?

That was a question she pondered often. Her death was certain; the only uncertainty lied in when. But, running away would not only shame her, it would bring shame to her family and possibly have their bloodline excused from the monarchy. The princess refused to be the blame for that.

"You're up late, Alexandria." The voice might have startled her, but she made no sudden movements to show it. Instead, she simply glanced sideways at the man standing in her doorway and smiled.

"Sleep eludes me tonight." Alexandria turned back to the scene outside her window, frowning as she realized the men in the valley had now disappeared. Her brother, Jonas, pulled the fingers of his gloves off slowly before completely removing them. He'd always found gloves to be annoying and useless, but he wasn't normally given much choice in the matter.

"What's on your mind?" Jonas questioned with a smile. He was normally the more protective of her two brothers, and naturally more inquisitive than Lucan, the eldest of them. There were small wrinkles at the edge of his eyes from the amount of smiling he always seemed to do. It made him look older, Alexandria realized with a pang of sympathy. He was only twenty-one, old enough to lead an army across a desert of their enemies but too young to sit down with the diplomats of their kingdom. Only Lucan had been invited to those meetings, so far, and he was too reserved to speak of them with the two.

Alexandria rubbed her hand against her cheek in thought. "Father's leading the battle tomorrow," she whispered, shaking her head slightly. Jonas glanced at the ground as she spoke, chewing on his lip as he stuffed his gloves into his pocket and pondered what to say. It was considered bad luck to speak negatively of someone's department. Wishing bad luck on the king never ended very well.

Finally, Jonas collected his thoughts enough to speak. "It'll be fine. He's been through more wars than we've lived to see."

"I just… It makes me sick to think—"

"I know," Jonas nodded slowly. In Aerilon, death in battle was considered the most honorable of all deaths. The first and last battle of the season was always lead by the king. Jonas shuddered to think that his brother would have to lead the next battle if their father fell in the upcoming one.

Alexandria squared her shoulders back in an attempt to cast her emotions aside and turned around to look at her brother. "How did your training go?" She didn't need to wait for his reply as the dejectedness was already written boldly across his face. Lucan was considered a natural-born warrior; his magic had manifested itself when he was only five just as most of the Stonerose males did. The Stoneroses were considered the most elite fighters of all the eligible royalty in Aerilon.

Jonas, on the other hand, hadn't been so lucky. At his age, he hadn't managed to produce a single flicker of magic. The best apothecaries and theurgists in the kingdom had been called out to check the man, yet none had been able to provide the family with a single answer. He had excelled in his combat training but that still didn't earn him the right to ascend the throne or, more importantly, the approval of their father. "I don't understand why I can't make it work. I _know _it's there!"

The black-haired man leaned against the footboard of the bed, shaking his head slightly in annoyance. He fumed about the problem often; in fact, pretty much everyone knew about it. Still the matter seemed irrelevant to Alexandria, who was tapping her foot against the wooden floor in agitation. "I don't understand why you need magic to be king. That's absurd; it has nothing to do with ruling a kingdom," she muttered, crossing her arms across her nightgown.

"You have to be able to rule over all with authority. You can't have authority over the wizards if you're not one." He ran a hand through his hair, frowning in thought. "I forget that you didn't have to study all that. Lucky you."

"I would have taken the most boring class about politics and ascension laws any day over all of the cleaning and sewing I had to learn." Alexandria faked a little shudder at the mention of sewing. Her fingertips were still dotted with marks from the needle she used weeks ago. That was a princess's job, though, and she was expected to take it seriously and pride herself on being a good wife. She was nothing more than a bargaining tool to sold off when the time was right and she was supposed to accept that fact with honor and grace.

Alexandria refused to take her life so lightly.

"You are going to be the worst wife," Jonas teased with a grin, and continued with a higher pitched, mocking voice: "Go sew up your own trousers; I hate sewing. _Cook_ for you? You mean you need to _eat_? I'm sure you can figure out something."

The red-head scowled and pushed his shoulder lightly. "I don't talk like that."

"Yes, you do." The man laughed slightly, shaking his head as he did so often. "You're like a smart-ass version of Evangelina." Alexandria broke out into a muffled fit of laughter at his comparison to her friend. Evangelina was probably the kindest servant in the entire castle, yet she was also horrible at doing any of her duties. Alexandria had heard her father say once that he'd thought about firing her, but she was such a happy soul that he couldn't bear the thought of it.

As Alexandria's laughter died down, Jonas's expression turned gravely serious. "Father mentioned something about your wedding recently."

The princess's eyes lit ablaze in an instance, fingers tightening on the windowpane until her knuckles turned white. She was to be married off to one of the three princes of the other kingdoms, yet the arrangements were not solidified enough for any announcements to be made. "Who is it?"

"Either Dragonsword or Windstrider. Dragonsword offered a better deal but Windstrider could be a more valuable ally."

"Marriage doesn't guarantee they'll become our allies."

"It's a written agreement." Jonas shrugged. "Breaking it would just end in another battle."

"What's one more?" Red hair swished sideways as she shook her head. "I do not wish to marry either of them."

"Wishing is for children, Xan, you know that." Jonas gave her sympathetic look, but she disregarded it. It didn't matter to her if he felt bad; the only thing that mattered was that she'd spend the rest of her days with someone she'd never met and potentially hated. The dark-haired man patted her shoulder. "Everyone has to make sacrifices for the kingdom. Our choices affect everyone here."

"You're worried I'll leave, aren't you?" She knew that tone in his voice; she'd heard it every time she talked about the adventures in the books she read and when she spoke of her dreams and the life she wished she had. Brown eyes met eyes just shades darker as he nodded slowly. They both knew the penalty for her doing something so reckless and neither liked the look of it. "I won't. I know my duty to the crown; I was at least taught that." It was probably the only thing 'useful' she was taught. Her brothers got tutors for their studies, trainers for their magic, and knights for their fighting. She was taught how to be a _lady_. Taught to wear the most fashionable clothes, taught to read and write, taught to speak properly, and taught to care for a household. That was her duty in life.

Jonas stood up straighter, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I wish you could have everything you wish for, Xan. If only the war ended—"

"That wouldn't matter." She cut in, voice sharper than the blade at her brother's side. If there was one discussion that she was passionate about, it was this one. "The disregard for my dreams has nothing to do with this war, even someone as uneducated as myself can see that. If we were in a time of peace, nothing would be different for me. The only way to escape that is to leave."

"Shush," Jonas muttered quickly as she started to raise her voice. "It's people like you that give the executioners job security. What do you expect to happen? You can't ascend the throne any more than I can. You surely can't make it out there on your own with no skills but arguing. The best life you can wish for is exactly what Father is trying to give you."

Alexandria blinked, taken aback. She could feel that annoying, dark little voice in the back of her head trying to push its way to the front of her mind. _'You see that sword. Don't you wonder what it feel like to drive it through his chest?' _Alexandria was terrified of that voice; it always pushed her, said things that she would never say. It had been there for as long as she could remember, twisting what she heard and pushing words out of her mouth before she could stop it. During the worst of it, her parents had called upon theurgists to look her over in their obvious fear of mental decay. They'd found nothing wrong with her and chalked it up to an overactive imagination. Alexandria had at least developed enough control over it to keep herself from looking completely crazy.

"W-what did you say?" She asked, blinking furiously as she tried to hide the anger welling up inside her.

Jonas blinked at her in confusion. "I said 'you're going to get yourself killed with your arguing one day. Father won't always be around to excuse it." She sighed in relief. The times that the voice twisted her hearing were some of the worse. It was like a very vivid dream where she couldn't sort out what was real and what was imagined. Still, her eyes couldn't help but wonder to the hilt of the sword in his belt. Jonas continued to blink at her, now looking worried. "Are you feeling ill?"

She waved his question away, faking a small smile. Alexandria could still feel the voice pressing against her mind, hissing into her ears as the smile faded from her face. "The moon is high. I should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be an exciting day."

Jonas didn't look convinced, but he nodded and pushed himself away from the foot of her bed and towards the door. "If you need anything—"

"I'm fine. Get some sleep." The red-head ushered him out of the room and closed the door, flicking the familiar lock into the safe position before letting out a sigh of relief. The voice had been gone for months, so long that she'd begun to think she'd been cured of the ailment. Yet, here it was, making itself at home in her head and invading her thoughts. Alexandria slowly slunk to her bed, pulling the covers back mechanically and sliding between the sheets as she watched the clouds in the sky drift by.

'_You could jump out that window._'

Alexandria froze, fingers gripping the top edge of her blanket as she pulled it up to her mouth. She hated those thoughts; she could feel the darkness in her mind like a tumor. _'That's what you want: freedom. Go take it._' She shook her head in answer, brown eyes wide with worry and fear. There was no hiding from it, no escaping. She had no freedom, not even in her own thoughts.

'_You could do it. Rules are for breaking.'_


	2. Shadows on Your Breath

**Evanescent**

Chapter 1  
_Shadows on Your Breath_

It was a cool morning in late autumn. The birds outside had just begun their first song as the warm orange sun peeked over the horizon to greet the waking world. Chipmunks scurried out their hiding places in the dead leaves in search of extra food, a bluish snake poked its head out of the slowly accumulating snow, and the soft murmur of the pixies deep within the woods started up. Atop the castle walls, the guards assigned to the morning shift greeted their comrades and relieved the night shift. The intoxicating scent of breakfast wafted up from the kitchen inside the walls and spilled over the threshold into the morning air. To the naked eye, this morning was no different than any other one.

There was one unexplainable detail on this morning: dread. The emotion was so heavy in the air that it seemed as if it would solidify and crush the castle beneath it. The guards shifted uneasily at their stations, eyes scanning the tree line for any signs of intruders. It was even obvious in the animals, who were warily stepping out of the shadows with their ears perked and eyes wide. The castle staff inside was more secluded from the emotion though even they were not unaffected by its presence. Maids tripped over servants and servants bumped into servers trying to set out the morning's feast.

Today was a big day. It was announced the previous week that the war with Caelfall was coming to a close; Aerilon had been announced the victor but society still stung from the casualties of the battle. Sons, fathers, brothers, and uncles had all been lost to the greediness of the crown, and all for what? A measly, uncharted island between the borders of the two kingdoms. Yesterday had been the last day of the war, reserved for the two kings to rendezvous and discuss the terms to end of the conflict. On this day, the armies would be returning along with their chief commander, King Brutus, and his eldest son, Prince Lucan. The inhabitants of the castle were oblivious to the fact that they'd only be greeting one member of the royal family today.

Alexandria would forever remember that morning.

She was awoken to the sound of shrieks that would have put a banshee's to shame. She blinked in confusion, still ridden with sleep and drowsy from lack of it. The red-head had barely had time to throw her covers off and reach for the clothes laid across the nightstand beside her before her door burst open to reveal what appeared to be the ghost of her best friend. Alexandria froze where she stood, one arm in her robe, and stared at her friend who was whiter than the color of her hair.

"Pheonix?" The princess asked after a long moment of silence, save the screams that echoed through the hallway. Alexandria had no idea what to expect the servant to say. There was a wide-range of possibilities from a surprise raid on the castle to another monstrous dragon stalking the town. Pheonix, a servant to the throne and one of the closest friends of the princess, shook her head slowly and finally closed her agape mouth. "What's going on?" Alexandria's voice was more commanding than she intended for it to be; she hated using that tone with people she was close to, but social status was social status and it couldn't always be helped.

"It's the… Xan, I'm so sorry." The servant hung her head, refusing to meet the scrutinizing brown gaze of the princess. Alexandria made a sound of annoyance and pulled the rest of her robe on, letting the velvety fabric gather in a pool at her feet. She didn't have time for the alterations that should have been made before being seen wearing it in public. As an afterthought, she discarded the shoes in her hand and started out the door, gathering her hair into a bun as she went.

The halls were significantly darker, as if the ongoing wails had drowned out the light of the still lit torches. The princess held her dress up in hopes of not tripping over the extra length and led the way down the gray stone hallway. She glanced behind her at the white-haired teenager, who was still wide-eyed and terror-stricken, and then continued trudging forward bare-footed on the stone flooring. The hallway was longer than she remembered it being. There was no smoke or debris lying around, but the continuous wailing was beginning to stir a panic inside her soul that she didn't understand.

When she finally reached the end of the tunnel, she was greeted by the backs of nearly every individual in the castle. Servants, maids, guards, warriors, and the like were crowded around the entrance to the large room. The wailing had gotten increasingly louder, and now Alexandria could make out words in the screams. The princess pushed her way through the crowd, heart rate increasing with every step until she finally broke out of it and into a small clearing in the sea of people. She furrowed her eyebrows, heart sinking as she came to the awful realization that the screams were erupting out of the frail body of her mother.

"M-mother?" Titania, the queen, was kneeled on the floor with her back to her daughter as she rocked back and forth. Alexandria grimaced, teeth chattering as she slowly reached towards Titania's unkempt and sleep-tossed hair. Her hand was stopped in midair as calloused fingers wrapped around her wrist. The princess prepared herself to yank her arm away from the other's grasp until she realized it was Jonas, shaking his head at her slowly. Her heart seized up in her chest as her gaze fell over the puffy red skin around his eyes.

Alexandria glanced back to her mother. Something shimmered in the older woman's arms, like a piece of metal, in the light rays that filtered in through the open door.

Her father's sword.

"N.. No…" The princess leaned against her brother, eyes wide with a mix of emotions too greatly intertwined to be list individually. A small sob escaped her throat. Kings were remembered by their weapons; their bodies were burned on the battlefield and offered no closure to their family. The only ceremony they had similar to a funeral was the Virgal, which consisted of the Head Sorcerer recounting the king's greatest accomplishments and handing off their weapon to the next heir. Normally, the heir would have the weapon put on display in the Great Hall since newcomers normally preferred to be remembered on their own.

Lucan, Alexandria's eldest brother, slowly stepped through the door and around his sobbing mother. The two royals looked over to him slowly as he came to a stop in front of them, head held high. Alexandria had always admired her brother's strength and reserve; he was known for being the most diplomatic of the King's children and was constantly praised for it. Jonas was simply known as a failure while Alexandria was known for associating with the help and speaking before being spoken to.

"Father is dead." His voice was even and controlled, but there was a slight shimmer to his eyes that made Alexandria think that even he had been impacted by their father's death. Jonas held his head up higher, chin level with his brother's as he nodded solemnly. For all King Brutus had been, he was an honest man. To his children, he was fair and ruled with a gentle hand.

Through the crowd came an elderly man, wrinkled and frail under the weight of his heavy white and silver robes. Alexandria quickly bowed her head to the Bishop, frowning when her brothers simply nodded to him as they exchanged quiet glances. It was considered improper to disrespect the Bishop, her father's left-hand main, and was technically punishable by death but royalty was often let off with a warning. The Bishop didn't seem worried with their manners, though, instead he regarded the three of them with sad eyes. There was a large book in his hand, which was outstretched toward Lucan in a shaky manner. "The kingdom cannot be without a king."

The words took the crowd by storm; quiet murmurs swept through them like a rolling crash of thunder. Lucan nodded slowly in understanding as he reached out to brush his fingers against the cover of the large book, known as the _Timp de Vrajitorii. _It was written in the language of the desert people, but she knew it vaguely translated to 'the Time of Sorcerers' or something of the like. _"_Alexandria Ailith Stonerose, do you swear by your honor to the throne…" The Bishop's voice tapered away, as if he had been disappearing into the background. Alexandria frowned as her eyes ran over the gold letter on the cover, following his fingers across it. The words on the book seemed strange and unfamiliar. As she watched the book, the gold lettering disintegrated and fell to join the other dust on the stone floor. In their wake, new lettering formed made of a strange dark crimson liquid that resembled blood. Squinting, Alexandria could barely make out the words as the liquid began dripping to the floor: _Umbrele Regina._

She didn't recognize the words, but their felt dark and heavy in her mind. The princess furrowed her eyebrows and turned to look at Lucan, who's hand had paused over the new letters. Alexandria almost became faint with fright at the look upon her brother's face. His eyes were so wide that they nearly bulged out of his head and his skin was paler than the clouds in the sky outside. Blood trickled from his nose, down his chin and then his neck before it seeped into the fabric of his robe. Alexandria slowly held her hand out to him, reaching closer, closer, and closer to his shoulder until his head snapped toward her—

Alexandria sat up, mouth agape as a scream tore its way out of her throat. Brown eyes searched the room frantically, disoriented and confused, as her fingers gripped the edge of the blanket tighter to herself. Finally, she took in a gulp of air and ran her fingers through her scraggly hair. She barely fought back the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes. The princess was still in the bedroom she woke up in every night from the same nightmare. It was always the same, the quiet morning, the terror of her friend, the screams of her mother, the sadness of her brothers… that was all what had happened on the day the army brought her father's sword back from the battlefield. It was a memory, not a nightmare, of the day she found out her father died.

The ending was always different, though. Some nights, Lucan would be stabbed by Jonas, her mother would stab Alexandria with her father's sword, or even the Bishop would calmly walk over to her mother and run his sword through her back. The end was always the worse; it tortured her more than the prisoners in the dungeon were. Her mother and brothers had come to ignore her screaming in the night. She was barely checked up on during the night anymore, especially tonight. Everyone had to catch up on their sleep, for today, Lucan would have his ascension ceremony.

It had been about a month since her father died and Lucan was named heir to the throne. She hadn't really seen Jonas since that day; he was always either locked up in his room or barricaded in the training room. She'd seen many of the volunteer sparers come out of the training room with bruises and whelps that made her wince. Lucan stayed busy preparing for his ascension ceremony. Her mother had spent her time mourning her last few weeks before her son's ceremony. It was law that when the king died that the queen would have until the night of the heir's ascension to fall on her husband's weapon. It was considered an honorable death and the ultimate sign of loyalty to the king.

Alexandria didn't see anything loyal in death, but, as always, her opinion didn't matter to the court.

Lucan had tried to have the law thrown out and disregarded, but that only ended in him loosing several wealthy supporters. Titania had begged Lucan to let it go for fear he'd lose the throne if he pursued the argument further. Aerilon wasn't like the other kingdoms, which were predominately ruled by one for family for as long as anyone could remember, and had several capable royal families. For the past fifty years, the Stoneroses had been in active control of the kingdom, though at any point the other families were capable of challenging their right to rule. The Griffinhorns were the most threatening of the other two families and threatened several times to take the kingdom from the King; the Battleblade family, contrary to their name, was normally very peaceful and offered the royal family help if they ever needed it.

Alexandria sat up, pushing the covers back slowly before she stretched. Judging by the amount of moonlight that poured from the heavens and into her room, it was probably very late in the night and dreadfully pointless to return to sleep. The only thing that awaited her in sleep was more nightmares, and she had no intention of returning to them quickly. Instead, she stood up and gathered up her robes in her fingers, wincing when she realized they still needed to be hemmed.

_Just cut it off. Who cares if it's properly sewed? _She shuttered at the voice, gritting her teeth to it in response. It had only gotten worse since her father died.

The door hinges protested loudly as she pushed against the wood of the door and stepped into the hallway. There wasn't much she could do at this hour, expect bang on her friends' doors and rouse them from their slumber. She spent too much time faking politeness to try it on her friends, too. She continued her journey to the Great Hall, frowning as she saw the room in which her nightmares so often occurred. The princess wondered if she'd ever recover from those nightmares.

"Alexandria?" The voice was light, but laced with confusion and concern. The princess recognized it immediately, turning to smile at Evangelina. She wasn't sure why the girl was awake so early in the night, but she was very thankful for it. "What are you doing awake? You'll look sleepy for the Prince's ceremony."

"As will you," Alexandria smiled, walking further into the adjacent room where her friend was leaning over the dining table. She must have been cooking, the princess concluded after taking in the smell of breakfast. She almost winced at the thought of Evangelina's cooking; it was true that she wasn't good at very much, besides being a nice person. "Lucan's always fancied you, you know. He'll be disappointed if you're too tired to show up tomorrow."

Evangelina's face turned several shades pinker and she looked down at her hands. "I'm just a servant, Xan, you know the rules." Xan, a popular nickname for the princess among her friends, shrugged indifferently and picked at a knot in the wood on the table.

"I disagree strongly with the rules."

"That's obvious by your constant disregard for them." Alexandria merely frowned at the voice, but Evangelina looked as if she might fall over dead on the spot. Lucan ran his fingers through his disheveled hair as he emerged fully into the room, golden robes blending in with the sandstone walls. His face was more sharp and serious than it had been before the last battle; there was a scar on his chin that hadn't been there before. Alexandria wondered how long it would take for his hair to turn silver from the stress of the job he was taking on. "You two are up early. Scheming already?"

"Plotting your downfall," Alexandria nudged him with her elbow as he sat at the table beside her. Evangelina awkwardly sat down across from them, looking like a frightened doe.

"Mhm," Lucan grunted, throwing her a sideways glance. "I could have you locked up for that, you know."

"But you wouldn't." Alexandria smiled. Lucan wasn't as light-hearted and playful as Jonas, but there was still a sliver of him that didn't mind his sister picking at him.

Evangelina cocked her head at him, studying the future with an intense blue gaze. "If I may say so, sir, you look tired." Her brown hair was still sticking up in some places, causing it to fall strangely around her face. Alexandria had always thought of Evangelina as a beautiful girl; but, beauty didn't matter as much as social status and she had been unlucky enough to be born to a poor, servant family. Lucan looked up at her from the scratch on the table's surface he'd been inspecting.

There was a moment of silence where he simply stared, and she looked like she might stand up and run out of the room at any moment. "You know you may say what you will to me," Lucan's voice was slow, and quiet. Alexandria suddenly felt like she was intruding on them and looked away in an attempt to not appear nosy. She was, though, and continued listening to them.

"That's not really proper, sir—"

"You're correct," Lucan muttered, causing Evangelina to wrinkle her forehead in slight conflict, "but, I _am _about to become the most powerful man in Aerilon, so I'm not too worried about it."

Evangelina looked as if she had seen a ghost; her skin had gone white to match the patches of flour on her skin and her blue eyes had widened. Alexandria pursed her lips, looking between the two of them before interjecting to defuse the situation. "So, were you making breakfast?"

"Hm?" The brown-headed girl turned back to the princess, looking as if she had forgotten that Alexandria was there. "Oh, yes—um—I'll be right back." With that, she turned and hurried back to the kitchen. Alexandria propped her head up against her hand, turning sideways in her seat to look at her brother with an expectant expression.

"What was that about?" She used her sweetest, most innocent voice possible for that question. Lucan looked at her out the corner of his eye, keeping his head turned to face the front. The annoyance was obvious in his body language. Alexandria didn't really care if she annoyed him though.

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Well, spill it anyway."

"I'll believe you mistake me for the wrong brother, Alexandria," Lucan turned to face her this time, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "I don't bow to your every command like Jonas does."

"I believe that is the most I've seen you smile," the princess teased, grinning as she spoke. He frowned immediately, forcing her to laugh. "At least I know Jonas values me for more than what someone would pay for me." Her last words were more serious and sharp. Lucan glanced at her, grimace evident on his face. Her marriage was touchy subject. On one hand, it was tradition for her to marry into one of other families; they were taught that it was the main reason the princesses were kept out of the tactical and history classes. They were to be used as bargaining chips and not forces of war. That was a man's job. On the other hand, Lucan had lost his father, would lose his mother tomorrow, and he wasn't sure he could handle the thought of adding his sister to that list. Marrying her off to another kingdom would mean facing her husband in war, killing her children, and raiding her home. As her brother, it should have been his job to protect her, not hurt her.

"We need to talk about your marriage—"

"I do not wish to talk about it now." She held a hand up, forcing him to fall silent in annoyance. She wore a large—granted, it was fake—smile across her face and tried to keep her voice light and bubbly. "Today is dedicated to being sure you're happy and well-rested for your ceremony. It isn't the time to talk about politics."

"Stop that." Lucan frowned. He seemed like his eyebrows were permanently knitted together these days. The princess blinked in confusion before she sat up straight and looked him in the eye. Even sitting down, she was shorter than him; the top of her head only came up to his chin. He continued before she could question him, "I know how you view the rules. You're no more thrilled about me taking the throne than Jonas is, so don't lie about it. You're not happy, you're not going fuss over me, so stop acting like you are. It's _fake_."

Alexandria smiled. It was a real, sad smile. "That's my job, Lucan. I was taught to be fake while you learned how to command armies." She laughed, gently. "And how can _you _talk about my views on the rules? You're practically courting a servant!"

Lucan laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "I'll be married to a princess or one a woman of high status. I don't have to court anyone. I'm just being _kind_, or have you forgotten what that is?" She drew in a quick breath, feeling that darkness in her mind again. _You could overthrow him. Go ahead, hurt him. Hit him, he probably doesn't know what pain is. _She shook the thought away, turning her head away from him. Lucan continued, thinking her actions were a sign of surrender, "I'd _like _to make sure you have a good life, Alexandria. You're my sister and I intend to be for certain that you're taken care of—"

"No, you'll do exactly what father planned for me. I'll be traded off in exchange for good favor. I've made peace with that, Lucan." It was a lie, but she figured it would be enough to end the argument. Evangelina returned from the kitchen, looking slightly distressed.

"Oh, please forgive me, majesties," she had one hand over her mouth, fingers shaking slightly. Alexandria raised an eyebrow in response. "I got caught up in our conversation and forgot about the bread and, well, it's a bit burnt."

"I don't think we'll die from burnt toast, Ev." Alexandria laughed quietly.

Lucan looked over at her, shrugging. "You're forgiven,"

She let out a sigh of relief, glancing to the window behind the two. "It's about time for everyone to start arriving." Evangelina sat the tray she had been carrying down in front of them, smiling sweetly. Lucan peered into it; it smelled good, surprisingly, and there was a hint of something sweet to it. Alexandria wondered how she had made bread smell sweet, but didn't dwell on it too long as Pheonix marched into the room. The white-haired girl waved, her dark, cheap robes hitting her ankles as she walked. Only floor length robes were for designed for royalty, though Alexandria usually pulled her's up to avoid stepping on it.

"Good morning, m'lady." If any one of the three girls could be considered a morning person, it would definitely be Pheonix. She was always up at the crack of dawn, before the rooster even awoke, and seemed to crawl out of bed with a smile on her face. Lucan looked at her in annoyance, seemingly offended that she hadn't greeted him.

Alexandria laughed softly, red-hair bouncing as she did so. "Good morning to you, as well, Pheonix." She waved her hand at her, grinning. "Oh," Alexandria stood up, picking up her skirt up off the floor as Pheonix paused to look at her, "do you think you could hem this for me today?"

"Sure thing,"

"I cannot believe you actually _ask._" Lucan looked as if the thought of asking was a foreign concept. His face, which was simply intrigued, evolved into a much darker and more challenging look as his eyes went from hers to the something behind her. Alexandria turned to her right, glancing over her shoulder to see what was so threatening behind her.

"You'd believe it if you were around her more." Jonas was leaned against the doorframe of the entryway, arms crossed and glaring at his older brother. Things had always been tense between them, but since the announcement of Lucan's inheritance they had become outright enemies. No one could stand to be in the same room. As if on cue, Evangelina excused herself to the kitchen. Pheonix, who'd rather be mauled by a bear than miss a good dose of drama, settled down into the seat that Evangelina had sat in before.

Lucan chuckled darkly, "I'm sorry I wasn't around enough for _your _liking, Jonas. I've been busy trying to keep everyone from having her sent to the dungeon, or worse."

"Oh, really?" Jonas pushed himself off the doorframe and started toward him, hands balled into fists at his sides, "so, what were you protecting her from when—"

"Shut up." Alexandria interjected, voice low and dangerous. There had been an incidence once when she was younger that had been swept under the rug and barely discussed among the family. Jonas, however, never seemed to let them forget it. Ten years ago, the princess had been kidnapped. The kidnapping was short and was only really committed for the ransom, not to mention the fact that she could barely remember it. The only thing they had to prove the people had harmed her was the scar on the top of her back. It was long, slender and ran the span of her right shoulder blade to her left one. The discussion of it always bothered her, though, even if she couldn't remember it.

Jonas immediately fell silent, gaze travelling from Lucan to her. Lucan laughed and shook his head. "I told you, I'm not Jonas. I don't follow your orders."

"There's a difference between following orders and respecting someone's wishes." Jonas practically growled, crossing his arms again.

"Excuse me," Evangelina had emerged from the kitchen once more, eyes wide with horror. Alexandria knew that look; she saw it every night in her dreams though it was worn on Pheonix's face. The princess stood up immediately, dress pooling around her feet and red-hair swishing from the sudden movement. Jonas and Lucan both looked over to her, varied emotions in their eyes. "Something's gone wrong with the queen."


End file.
